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Sunday, January 31, 2010

Computer Software

Application software

It is the reason that one wants to buy a computer:• printout out paychecks • play Mortal Kombat • keep track of a stamp collection • do your taxes • generate a fancy newsletter • guide robots • keep a budget • draw a flowchart • browse the Web • design a carPC Software CharacteristicsUser-friendlyEasyIntuitive (easy to u/stand and to use)Minimum training and documentation needed to use

Software Types: Custom SoftwareWritten by programmersTakes a lot of time to write and testWhen specifications are uniquenot targeted to the mass marketusually created for companies, business entities, and organizations. Custom software is also when companies or governments pay for customized software for budget or project managing.Eg. commercial products such as commercial websites, business databases and software for governments.Software Types: Packaged or CommercialReady-made application softwareSold in stores, catalogs, or downloadable from the WWWPurchased from software publishersMust be installedStandard or custom installationThe setup process copies some of all of the software to the hard diskMay require the CD-ROM to be in the drive to run

Eg. Microsoft Office includes many software programs that may be used in the office, such as MS Excel, MS Word and MS Access.Acquiring SoftwareFreewareFree to all - normally fully functional for an unlimited time with no cost, monetary or otherwiseCopyrighted - freeware may or may not be free and open source softwareDistributed in machine-readable formatEg. games

SharewareFreely distributed for a trial periodPay a nominal fee to register with the authoroften limited by any combination of functionality, availability or convenienceis often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a periodicalsuch as a newspaper or magazine. Rationale: to give buyers opportunity to use the program and judge its usefulness before purchasing a license for the full version of the software.

Public-domain softwaresoftware that is not limited by having a copyrightCan be freely used, copied, or altered, because no one owns the rights to restrict its useEg. the GNU/Linux software, which forms a part of many PC operating systems.Eg you can easily get copies of Adobe Reader, Netscape, Internet Explorer and a variety of other programs. when you purchase a computer, you may be given several free programsBut these are licensed to you only, rather than being yours to copy or distribute, as would be public domain software.Eg public domain: Visual Molecular Dynamics allow you to create three-dimensional drawings of molecules.

Open-sourceFree to allSource code is distributedMay be used or alteredEg. the Apache Web Server, OpenOffice

Commercial softwareUsed most oftenCopyrightedGenerally costlyMay not be copied without permission of the manufacturerShareware is software that is readily available to download online for a free trial evaluation. At the end of the trial period the user is bound by the electronic user license agreement (EULA) to either uninstall the software, or pay for its continued use.Shareware trial periods vary from a few days to a monthShareware should not contain advertisements or spyware.

Businesses Volume discountSite licenseNetwork versionsApplication Service Provide (ASP)Software is setup and maintained by ASPAccess the software over the InternetPay per useSaves the expense of installing and maintaining the software

Word ProcessingWord Processing software is used to create and print documents. A key advantage of word processing software is that users easily can make changes in documents.

-UsesMemosReportsCorrespondenceMinutes of meetingsAnything to be typed

-FunctionsCreateEditFormatStorePrint text and graphics

Desktop PublishingUsesNewslettersReportsBrochuresFunctions

Handles high-level publishing needsElectronic SpreadsheetsElectronic spreadsheet software allows the user to add, subtract, and perform user-defined calculations on rows and columns of numbers. These numbers can be changed and the spreadsheet quickly recalculates the new results.

-FunctionsManipulates numbers in rows and columnsRecalculates the results when a number is changed

Database ManagementAllows the user to enter, retrieve, and update data in an organized and efficient manner, with flexible inquiry and reporting capabilities.

-UsesKeep track of a large number of related factsQuery the data for specific informationRetrieve information in a variety of ways

-FunctionsStore dataUpdate dataManipulate dataRetrieve dataPrint data in many formsReport on data in a variety of ways

Presentation GraphicsPresentation graphic software allows the user to create documents called slides to be used in making the presentations. Using special projection devices, the slides display as they appear on the computer screen.

CommunicationsCommunicate from home with computer at officeAccess data stored in another computer in another locationStock exchange updatesWeather information.

Provides method for communicating between computersMost likely way to connect is via the InternetUse a browser to access the Internet

Office Suites

Group of basic software applications designed to work togetherData is portable between basic applications of the suiteVarious applications in the suite have the same “look and feel”Cost of suite is less than purchasing individual applications.Integrated Applications

Combine basic word processing, spreadsheet, and graphics capabilitiesMore limited than a suiteEasier to learn and use.

Custom-written to meet special business needsStandard packagesCombination of custom-written and off-the-shelf

Software for Workgroups

Groupware / collaborative softwareLets a group of people share information or track information togetherData being used is located in central databaseData can be accessed and updated by anyone in the project group